The President of the Council of States, Ivo Bischofberger (CVP/AI), will travel to Rome from 5 to 7 May 2017. On 5 May, Mr Bischofberger will meet Linda Lanzillotta, Vice President of the Italian Senate, and visit the Swiss International School of Rome. On 6 May, he will attend the swearing-in ceremony of new recruits of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard, and he will accompany Swiss President Doris Leuthard for an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis.

​Italy is one of Switzerland’s main partners. The aim of this visit is to foster relations between the two parliaments, particularly via our common language and our shared respect for common democratic values. Mr Bischofberger will address current issues such as migration, in which cooperation is vital.

Mr Bischofberger will be received by José Oberson Mau, Director of the Swiss International School of Rome, located in the heart of the capital and officially recognised by the Italian State. The school offers classes for students from age three up to completion of the Federal Baccalaureate, following the Swiss curriculum. The school’s first official language is German, and the second Italian, the language of the host country and one of the official languages of Switzerland. The school has around 500 students, of which 35% are Swiss, 45% Italian, and the remaining 20% from other countries. Mr Bischofberger is a member of the board of the association educationsuisse, whose mandate includes representing the interests of Swiss schools abroad vis-à-vis public opinion, the business sector and institutions in Switzerland.

Mr Bischofberger will be accompanied by Pierre-Yves Fux, Swiss Ambassador to the Holy See, Giancarlo Paduano, the Swiss Consul in Rome and Pietro Lazzeri, Deputy Head of Mission in Rome.